Author
Topic: Hive loader on trailer (Read 7921 times)

Idahobeeguy

I plan to build a fifth wheel trailer trailer to haul bees with. I would like to build a loading boom to mount on the trailer that will load and unload the hives. I am not to the point where the cost of a bobcat loader is justified. Having searched the internet for several hours, I have only found booms that will lift one hive at a time, instead of an entire pallet as I had hoped for. If anyone could point out a good design of a boom or lift mechanism that they have found I would appreciate it.

How do you plan on moving the pallets of hives to the trailer? I would think that most designs you have seen are for single hives because that is how they are moved to the trailer. If they are being moved by the pallet load, they are probably loading them with the same thing that they are moving them with (i.e BobCat).

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Idahobeeguy

You are correct, most of the loaders I saw were for single hives. I was hoping to find a design in which the boom was sturdy enough to support the weight of 4 colonies (which I know must be a fairly sturdy boom, given the weight of even a single colony). If such a boom can be built affordably, I would load and unload the pallets with the boom by placing them as far from the trailer as the boom would reach. I may have to move the trailer a few times in order to place the pallets where I want them, or to pick them up for loading.

guest

An inexpensive method is to use an overhead beam which extends off the back of the trailer. Use an electric cable hoist on a beam trolley and you can lift from the ground and roll the pallets along the length of the trailer.

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guest

An inexpensive method is to use an overhead beam which extends off the back of the trailer. Use an electric cable hoist on a beam trolley and you can lift from the ground and roll the pallets along the length of the trailer.